Thursday, July 22, 2010

State Representative Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe-47) and State Senator Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe-25), are urging Congress to overturn a directive from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) that threatens to undermine residential renewable energy programs. Egolf and Wirth are asking New Mexico’s delegation to Congress to join them in opposing what they are calling "a vast bureaucratic overreach into renewable energy programs and states’ rights."

In a letter addressing New Mexico’s U.S. Congressional Delegation, Rep. Egolf and Senator Wirth write, “New Mexico, like many other states, has enacted legislation designed to help homeowners finance the costs of installing solar or other sustainable energy systems. We were the authors of the two new laws, House Bill 572 and Senate Bill 647, in the 2009 session of the New Mexico Legislature. These programs have multiple benefits: homeowners can save money on utility bills and increase the value of their homes; designers and installers of sustainable energy systems gain more business; and we all benefit from a decreased dependence on fossil fuels.”

You've Got To Be Kidding MeEarlier this month the FHFA claimed that these programs pose an unspecified threat to the financial health of the mortgage banking industry. Rep. Egolf and Senator Wirth call this an overreach in areas that are traditionally the purview of the states: property taxes and energy delivery. Both say that by throwing up barriers for Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) funding, the FHFA has infringed on important areas of states’ rights to self-govern and has extinguished an opportunity to create jobs and improve the quality and health of our natural environment.

“New Mexico’s PACE programs are some of the best ways to get New Mexicans back to work, and I am extremely disappointed that Washington bureaucrats have slowed down our effort to create jobs here in New Mexico," Egolf said in a statement released today. "The carpenters, electricians, plumbers and solar installers who would get work under PACE programs can’t wait any longer. It is time for Washington to get out of the way and let us do what we think is best for our local economy.”

Rep. Egolf and Sen Wirth, and everybody else who supports that PACE program, need to understand that they cannot simply steal money from the senior mortgage holder of a property (typically Fannie and Freddie) - regardless of their professed intentions.

The original article above is actually a verbatim press release (opinion not fact), even though DemocracyforNewMexico does not tell you that, and no author is named. The header for the press release is presented below:

DefendingEnergyPrograms.pdf

State of New Mexico
House of Representatives
Ben Lujan, Speaker of the House
Ken Martinez, House Majority Leader
Sheryl Williams Stapleton, House Majority Whip

"Analyst Hawkes Featuring: Erik Hawkes Part 3 of 3 1. There is no bailout because there is no money. 2. Dollar is headed to zero. 3. Stock market is headed to zero. 4. Renewable energy generation will replace stocks and bonds. 5. Watch out for extraction taxes for sunlight, wind, and rain. 6. Watch out for green nazis. 7. War on Terror is either US vs. Russia and China or it is government vs people, ie a police state."

Parts 1 and 2 are also there. When someone uses the phrase "green nazis" it's pretty clear where they're coming from -- the lunatic fringe.